Regarding policies about skinning in a resort. It all depends upon the nature of the negotiated lease with the forest service and as Shredlife and I discovered talking to a patroller where we ride, the country that the resort and national forest area is in.

At Meadows, they do not allow ANY uphill travel AT ALL regardless if open or not as long as the resort is operating for the season because of grooming, avy control and other equipment operations. Off season, it reverts to standard national forest policy. In addition, if you skin up above Meadows to shred Wy East Face on Mt. Hood, you also cannot re enter and ride in the resort on the way down. You must stay out of the resort entirely.

Now, Timberline a few miles away, also on Mt. Hood National Forest, does allow uphill travel even when operating and has established climbing routes. You are also allowed to ride lifts and exit anywhere (no official gates) and can re enter the resort after a climb up on Hood. The only they ask is that riders stay on the off piste terrain after hours and grooming because they conduct a lot of race camps and don`t want the fresh corduroy carved up and then have it freeze with ruts in it (got bitched at for this when I did`nt know...never done it again and had cat drivers thank me)

The difference in policies according the patroller we talked to has to do with the fact that two resorts are in different counties. Meadows is in Hood River County and their RCW code is different that Clackamas county where Timberline is.

So as you can see the policies can vary greatly between resorts and it all has to do with how their special use permit and lease is worded.

Also, it is erroneous to assume that just because someone is skinning in the back country that they know what they are doing. Sadly, I see way more dumbfucks out there without a fucking clue than I do trained people.

Thanks, I guess I need to talk to the people at Copper and Winter Park. I plan on doing a decent amount of this after my Avy class